Milktooth had a hand in this new restaurant near Mass Ave.

When you combine the culinary genius of Milktooth chef Jonathan Brooks and the beer-making mastery at Broad Ripple’s Brugge Brasserie, you get the one restaurant everyone wishes would hurry up and open.

It finally happens Feb. 26 when The Owner’s Wife debuts in Downtown’s Lockerbie Square neighborhood, a block off Mass Ave.

Brugge Brasserie owners Ted Miller and Shannon Stone, who also run Outliers Brewery, have been talking about The Owner’s Wife since at least 2013. Life interfered with their plans, but the pair finally got moving on the 608 N. Park Ave. location in 2016. It’s next door to Outliers Brewery.

They tapped Brooks, who worked at Brugge before he became nationally known for Milktooth, to help create the menu. Brooks will not be The Owner's Wife chef. That job belongs to Brugge chef Jay Petroy.

Brooks’ imagination meets Miller and Stone’s world travels on an exciting, international menu that aims to harmonize beer and food. Think Outliers’ crisp, delicately hopped Whitcomb Rye to sip with jerk frog legs served atop steamed rice, a wedge of lime included.

Complex flavor profiles also may include beer, for instance grilled broccolini with sour beer pickled shallots, almonds and smoked oyster mayo. Another option is fish, whichever is fresh from the market that day, with beer ponzu, mushrooms, spinach, grated radish and sugar snap peas. 

I’m most excited for the conservas, that canned seafood made famous at tapas bars in Spain. Cooks at The Owner’s Wife can fresh seafood themselves, and when they do the kitchen smells delectable. The mussels escabeche are tender, tangy and addictive. The team also house-cures meats, prepares homemade cheeses and brews small-batch, craft beer vinegar.

The menu also lists caramelized bone marrow with herb salad and golden raisins; baby octopus with “lumpy” mashed potatoes and green olive salsa verde; pork schnitzel with asparagus, peas, potatoes, boiled egg and lemon mayonnaise; and black mole skirt steak with couscous, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeño, cotija cheese and black bean corn relish.

“With The Owner’s Wife, we really wanted to create a place where beer and food are more than just paired at the dinner table. They’re actually conceived to be together,” Miller said. “With Jonathan’s talents for elevating traditional dishes, he’s the perfect person to make that concept a reality.”

Prices range from $9 to $13 for snacks and $12 to $27 for entrees. The Owner’s Wife hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. 

Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, Facebook and Pinterest. Call her at (317) 444-6264.